Emily Ramsey is the soulful and spunky lead singer of Carolina George. But for months she has been suffering alone regarding something that happened to her. She is in pain and drowning. She is under pressure from the band and their possible new record executive to sign a contract, but she has reasons to avoid it.

Royce Reilly has been assigned the task by his stepfather and owner of Mylton Records to acquire the band no matter what. Royce has also been through pain, much of it coming due to actions from his evil stepfather and others from his own mistakes. He is angry, bitter, troubled, and set on revenge. He already feels like he sold his soul to the devil and has nothing to lose. But he may just have another agenda.

Emily and Royce have an explosive first meeting with passion unleashed and no questions. But then their second interaction becomes volatile due to the circumstances. But now they will be together for  in the close confines of a tour bus and trying to resist their magnetic pull is going to be even harder. But no matter how dark and distant Royce tries to be, for some reason he also makes Emily feel safe and protected. Their chemistry is off the charts and they make each other come alive. But they both know it is a bad idea and Royce especially keeps trying to resist to avoid making questionable choices.

I felt so bad for both of them since they had so much pain from the past that was still holding them down, and it took a long time to start sharing it. And they had a hard time finding the strength and hope to try to move on. She was afraid to even tell those closest to her or ask for help. And it just frustrated those that cared about her. He was a man in conflict and was tortured with the need to make things right for everyone.  He does not feel worthy and wants to protect her, but she is persistent and stubborn. And eventually, they will be forced to drown in the darkness or take a stand for themselves and maybe each other. But there are so many underlying agendas at play that could ruin everything. I enjoyed trying to figure out all the secrets and twists...some I figured out and some I did not see coming.

This is an intense, angsty, emotional, sexy story of revenge, hope, healing, soul mates, and second-chances. It is told in dual points of view that was necessary for the full impact of this story.  The author writes in such a poetic way that ramps up the intensity of the scenes, and the music lyrics just embellish that. She also adds layers of mystery and secrets to the plot.

I love the camaraderie of the band with Leif, Rhys, and her brother, Richard. Although they are not as easygoing as they used to be and there are definite secrets, conflicts, and underlying drama going on. Richard's secrets are layered into the plot of this one and I am looking forward to his book next. 

Emily Ramsey is caught up in the pressure of celebrity, haunted by events that cause her daily fear and anxiety, especially as she is being encouraged to sign with a music label. She is hesitant to continue with music, after what happened to her, but has a lot of people depending on her who she doesn’t want to let down.

Royce Reilly has been tasked by his stepfather to convince Carolina George to sign to their label. He has even more on the line than signing the band though, and when Emily connects the dots, she may not want to sign with him after all.

From the first night they meet, there is a connection between these two. Emily doesn’t usually pick up strangers in bars, but the safety she feels with Royce has her dropping walls that she has held up to protect herself. The passion from that night is halted when Royce’s reasons for being in Nashville come to light. Now Emily has to decide what to trust and what is show business.

There were parts of this story, most of it really, that I absolutely loved. Because I have read most of AL Jackson’s work, I already knew I loved Carolina George and have been waiting to get deeper into the band’s lives after meeting Leif. Emily is as sweet as they come, so I was excited to find out her story. But there was a lot of drama building up to the final resolution that caused added stress for the characters that could have easily been remedied with a little communication. I realized Royce’s plan needed secrecy, but with the connection that formed between them so quickly, it kind of hurt that he didn’t trust her to let her into the plan.

Overall, this was an entertaining read that would have been quick had I been able to read it over a weekend rather than during a work week. Though there is a lot of angst, the characters are solid and the chemistry is through the roof. I am still a huge Carolina George fan, and can’t wait to see if my predictions about Richard’s girl are correct. There will be fall out because of some events at the end of this book, and I can’t wait to see how the band rallies from this conclusion.